Yesterday, the consequences of dealing with grain merchant Zhang Cunjin were immediately apparent.
Li Qinzai is a powerful dragon, while the grain merchants are local snakes.
As soon as Qianglong arrived on the territory, he attacked the local snakes and made the remaining local snakes feel uncomfortable.
Li Qinzai has gradually realized that the grain merchants in Bingzhou are not just grain merchants, or in other words, they are just tools on the surface.
There is a force behind the grain merchants, otherwise they would dare to raise the price of grain dozens of times in a disaster year. Ordinary businessmen would not have the guts to do this, let alone encourage the people to block the officials in the street.
Most of the people in front of them were induced by the grain merchants. Firstly, they wanted to show off their muscles to Li Qinzai, implying a warning. Secondly, they also prevented the newly appointed governor from stepping down and compromised the official authority of the governor.
Li Qinzai did not blame the people in front of him who were kneeling and howling.
After all, the people are civilians, and they have only a little experience and structure. They don't know that Li Qinzai asked Zhang Cunjin to suppress the price of food in Bingzhou City, and they don't know that Li Qinzai did this so that the people could eat at affordable prices as soon as possible.
food.
What the people saw was that the new governor was young and energetic and did not know how to compromise. As soon as he took office, he was at loggerheads with the local grain merchants, which ultimately harmed them.
Sighing, Li Qinzai helped an old man kneeling in front of him, bent down to help him dust off his knees, and said with a wry smile: "Old man, you don't blame the grain merchants for driving up grain prices, but blame me for suppressing the grain merchants. That's right.
Is that what it says?"
The old man looked bitter and lowered his head and said: "We are not ignorant people. It is really hateful for grain merchants to raise grain prices, but we all have a family and a mouth, and we just want food and clothing every day."
"In the past, no matter how high the food prices were, we could barely survive by spending our savings. But since Zhang Cunjin was questioned, the food prices have risen again. We and other ordinary people can no longer afford to eat, and the whole family is hungry.
There is no other way but to appeal to the governor."
The common people cried and kowtowed to Li Qinzai, begging Li Qinzai to let the Bingzhou grain merchants go.
For a moment, Li Qinzai's heart went cold.
Obviously, he was working hard, from inside the city to outside the city, slowly making plans to suppress food prices, and trying his best to find a way out for the people. However, he was not understood by others, and instead became an evil official who harmed the people.
From time traveling to the present day, how has Li Qinzai ever suffered such incomprehensible injustice?
But he couldn't blame anyone in front of him.
The public is ignorant. They are simple and honest but lack knowledge. How can Li Qinzai blame them?
Gritting his teeth, Li Qinzai still put on a smile and said: "Everyone, if you give me a little more time, I will bring down the price of grain in Bingzhou. You believe me."
The old man in front of him shook his head and sobbed: "President Li wanted to ask Zhang Cunjin for the sake of our people, but... what we want is not for the criminal to be punished, but for the whole family to have food and clothing. I beg Li Prefect to have mercy and stop embarrassing the grain merchants."
Already."
Li Qinzai's face grew colder and he said: "Even if I don't ask the grain merchants, I dare to ask how many days will your savings last? This year is destined to be a disaster year, can you survive it? If so, I will not be too troublesome and will let you go immediately.
I got a piece of gold, apologized to the grain merchants, and let them continue to sell grain for thirty cents a liter."
The people who were kneeling on the ground were suddenly speechless.
Nowadays, they are struggling to support themselves with their meager savings. With such high food prices, they can only sustain themselves for a few days. In fact, they are struggling to survive every day with the intention of surviving. It is absolutely impossible for them to survive every day.
Lasted a whole year.
Li Qinzai said slowly: "If you believe me and give me ten days, I will give you an explanation. I am the governor of Bingzhou, and I will never allow anyone under my rule to starve to death this year!"
The people looked at him hesitantly and looked at each other, but no one said a word.
Liu Asi took a step forward and shouted: "Get out of the way quickly! Don't block the official's driving!"
The people kneeling in the middle of the street slowly made way for them.
Just as Li Qinzai took a step forward, he heard someone suddenly rush out from the crowd and shouted: "There are natural and man-made disasters, and the people are in dire straits. You officials only care about showing off their authority and don't know the sufferings of the people. The five members of my family have been hungry for three days, and there is no hope of survival."
Absolutely, nothing but death!"
After saying this, the man rushed forward suddenly and slammed into the stone steps on the side of the road with a death wish.
The incident happened so suddenly that Li Qinzai and the others did not expect it. They watched helplessly as the man was knocked to death on the stone steps. His blood flowed all over the floor and his body twitched. Then there was no movement and he was no longer alive.
.
Li Qinzai was shocked and stared blankly at the dead man, his expression falling into a trance.
The people's emotions, which had just been calmed down, were immediately aroused again by this man's death. They continued to kneel on the roadside and howl. The crowd became more and more restless and uncontrollable.
Liu Asi saw that the situation was not good and hurriedly said: "Protect Fifth Young Master and leave quickly!"
Li Qinzai was held up by his arms, almost half lifting and half pulling him away.
Returning to the Governor's Mansion, Liu Asi ordered the door to be closed tightly and looked at Li Qinzai with a livid face: "Fifth Young Master, this man died in a strange way!"
Li Qinzai still didn't come back to his senses, and murmured in a daze: "Did...did I kill him?"
Liu Asi said seriously: "No! This man died strangely! There was no warning, and before he died, he said some words to incite the people. A person who truly wants to die will not have such deliberate intentions before his death."
Li Qinzai's body trembled and he finally came to his senses.
Closing his eyes tiredly, he recalled the words and deeds of the man before his death in his mind.
Liu Asi was right, that man did die strangely, especially his inciting words before his death, which made people feel even more deliberate.
His expression gradually turned cold, and Li Qinzai said in a deep voice: "Summon Song Sen to see me immediately."
Liu Asi waved his hand toward the door, and a member of the tribe left quickly.
Li Qinzai continued: "Tomorrow night there will be a banquet at the governor's office, and we will invite all the grain merchants in Bingzhou City. Ah Si, go and arrange it."
"yes!"
After Liu Asi left, Li Qinzai sat alone in the small room, with a fierce murderous intent flashing across his face.
"Bingzhou Grain Merchant, you finally pissed me off!"
…………
The people died on the steps, and the news spread to Bingzhou City the next day.
However, the news that spread throughout the city gradually changed. People in the city spread the news that the new governor was young and incompetent, had offended grain merchants, mismanaged the people, and the people's families had no food to eat. In the end, the new governor forced him to commit suicide in front of him.
Rumors abounded, Li Qinzai's reputation was completely destroyed overnight, and he inexplicably became the target of beatings by everyone in the city.
In the governor's office, Liu Asi was furious and clamored to send out troops to take all the people who were secretly talking about Fifth Young Master to prison for questioning, but Li Qinzai calmly stopped him.
As the situation develops now, the smell of conspiracy is getting stronger and stronger.
Li Qinzai noticed that there was a pair of invisible hands controlling everything behind his back. From the day he asked Zhang Cunjin, or in other words, from the day he paid a visit to Mrs. Korea, those invisible hands had begun to stir up the situation in Bingzhou.
Pointed directly at him, the new governor.
The rumors about Li Qinzai that have spread all over the street are of course their work.
If nothing unexpected happens, the news may have been quickly spread to Chang'an by someone who is interested, and the censors of Chang'an may be sharpening their knives.
Public opinion can kill, no matter good people or bad people.
Suddenly falling into passivity and being criticized by thousands of people, Li Qinzai calmed down.
Regardless of the cause of the matter or the ultimate goal, in the final analysis there is only two words, "food".
Li Qinzai wanted to save the people from disaster, and those who manipulated the conspiracy wanted to make fortune from the disaster. The interests of both parties inevitably conflicted.
Conflicts of interest will of course lead to hostility. Li Qinzai understands this very well, and he is not someone who is used to being beaten passively.
Now it's his turn to take the initiative and fight back.
Tonight, a banquet at the Governor's Mansion.
As soon as it gets dark, guests come to the door.
The Korean lady was the first to arrive. A gorgeous and luxurious carriage stopped at the gate of the Governor's Mansion. The carriage with two horses and shafts, the pomp of the retinue, the title of "Mrs." conferred by Li Zhi, and the ceremonial ceremony were really not economical at all.
Everything that can be used is used.
As soon as Mrs. Korea entered the door, she covered her mouth and giggled. She gave Li Qinzai a wink and said, "I heard that Li Qinzai made a fuss yesterday. Now everyone in the city knows you."
Li Qinzai said with a smile: "It doesn't matter, I still have a bad reputation in Chang'an City. I haven't survived until now without any illness or disaster. Outsiders don't know the truth and just chew a few words and don't care about them."
Mrs. Korea's eyes turned and she said with a smile: "At a time when the city is in turmoil, Governor Li also invites grain merchants to a banquet. Is this banquet tonight not the Hongmen Banquet?"
Li Qinzai blinked and said with a smile: "Madam, look at the corridor outside the hall. I have ambushed five hundred swordsmen. Are you afraid, madam?"
The Korean lady laughed regardless of her manners: "What am I afraid of? It's those grain merchants who should be afraid."
Li Qinzai said in a joking tone: "Madam, what you said is wrong. Maybe I got someone's instruction and wanted to kill Madam..."
The Korean lady laughed and her expression immediately changed.